The match took 3 hours, 58 minutes, ending just before midnight in Prague. That gives Berdych about 14 hours to recover before Saturday's doubles.

Berdych and Stepanek, 3-0 in Davis Cup doubles this year, are assumed to be the team for the Czechs in doubles. Spain is sending out Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, who are 1-2 in Davis Cup in 2012 and are coming off a win at the World Tour Championships in London.

Berdych, 9-0 overall in Davis Cup this year, just got by Almagro in a well-played tense match. There were five breaks as servers controlled play through the first four sets, but Berdych took a 4-2 lead with the first break of the fifth set.

However, Almagro broke back immediately only to have Berdych come up with break No. 5. Berdych then served out for the win.

Earlier Friday, Ferrer dropped serve just twice, winning two-thirds of the points on serve. He also took nearly half of the points off Stepanek's serve.

Friday's split means the Sunday's reverse singles will decide the 100th Davis Cup title. Berdych and Ferrer are to meet in the first match with Almagro and Stepanek going in the other.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.